Nomination of Ticharwa Masimba: Comrade of the Quarter

It’s hard to believe it will only be two years; August 22, 2018 that African People’s Education and Defense Fund (APEDF)/Black Star Industries (BSI) Economic Director- St. Louis (STL), Ticharwa Masimba joined the African People’s Socialist Party and successfully completed his probation February 22, 2017.

As Ticharwa’s sponsor, it was clear to me from day one that Ticharwa wanted to be a leader, not in name only but in practice.

As we know, work without practice is dead and anyone that knows Ticharwa Masimba knows he prides and has committed himself to the liberation of Africa and African people.

A leader who carries out the principles of African Internationalism

While this nomination is for the past three months, I must state that Ticharwa’s work ethics goes back to the day he entered the Party.

Ticharwa was called to a meeting led by Chairman Omali Yeshitela to discuss the African People’s Socialist Party’s (APSP) intention on building in north St. Louis and locating an Uhuru House that would be used to organize the African community.

Ticharwa was part of this important search and led the way forward in the renovation process to its completion.

Ticharwa decided that he wanted to become a full-time organizer and quit his colonial job and now is the APEDF/BSI Economic Development Director for the Office of the Deputy Chair.

Ticharwa was assigned to lead the N2U Volunteer Brigade and Coordinate the Workdays that have mobilized scores of volunteers to participate in the completion of Phase I of the Black Power Blueprint, the completion of the renovation of the Uhuru House and Akwaaba Hall.

Ticharwa organizes all the volunteers to African Internationalism and unites them to the Party’s overall goals.

Ticharwa works in an organized fashion that allows the projects to grow and for the committee to multi-task. Because of this, everyone is able to see the interrelationship between all tasks and projects coming together as one to completion.

He has created programs, taught himself programs or sought training to learn programs that further our organizational capacity and holds contact development and work accountable.

Two of the programs that Ticharwa is using to the fullest for contact development are Mailerlite and Hub Spot.

An example of what leadership should look like

Ticharwa stands as an example of a new cadre who takes full responsibility to study Chairman Omali Yeshitela’s writings and speeches and who has internalized African Internationalism in theory and in practice.

He has assumed cadre leadership responsibilities in this past quarter that have taken years and even decades for others to carry out.

Ticharwa is the leadership of all Economic Development activities in St. Louis, the central hub of the Black Power Blueprint!

He is a Board member of APEDF and coordinates the newly renovated Uhuru House and Akwaaba Hall with staffing and training.

He is now developing functioning offices on the second floor of the Uhuru House as well as leading the development of Akwaaba Hall as a community institution.

Over this past month, Ticharwa has taken on the responsibility to coordinate the work for five students from STL Youth Jobs in which he trains and mentors them.

Ticharwa has also developed deep unity from his family members, Brandi, who is also a member of the Black Power Blueprint Steering Committee, and his daughter A’liyah and son Zyon─our youngest member and Spear seller!

He adheres to and follows democratic centralism with a deep appreciation for the leadership of Chairman Omali Yeshitela.

Because Ticharwa embraces Democratic Centralism as the liberating principle of organization, of the Party and the working class, he is also a great leader and organizer.

He has a profound grasp of African Internationalism and is a materialist and scientific socialist and leads and carries out the work accordingly.

He represents the Party, Black Star Industries and APEDF at community neighborhood association meetings and city and ward economic development meetings challenging the opportunist elected officials and leading the way for African workers’ power in St. Louis.

He has made profound presentations at the Fund Drive Webinars for the Black Power Blueprint that have unraveled the history of black St. Louis exposing the white ruling class strategy of exploitation of the African working class based on the foundation of slavery through neocolonialism today.

These are just a few reasons why Comrade Ticharwa Masimba was named the African People’s Socialist Party “Comrade of the Quarter” for June 2018.